Translator: Vitus
Editor: Brandon

Black Rock City, a southern city-state of t.i.tus kingdom, back by the economic artery known as “Lái Nǎo” River. Sea and Land transport is facilitated, economical business is well developed, and thus Black Rock City was given the t.i.tle of “Small Southern Pearl.”

A hundred miles to the west of Black Rock City, lies the former little stone village. Tang En left the forest, he was mostly devoted to training and didn’t travel much. During this period he did not excessively hurry along, he initially travelled on foot towards Black Rock City. After walking for 5-6 days, and he was still fluttering in the wild.

At this time, the system once again issued a mission.

The mission is to seek for an a.s.sa.s.sin organization, and join forces with them.

This was a mandatory mission, which was supposed to be completed within 72 hours. If a mandatory mission fails, experience obtained will be reduced to zero for the first time, HP will be reduced to zero at the second time, and he would lose his life at the third failure.

As this world’s information gathering system wasn’t so well developed, the old housekeeper couldn’t give any good suggestions, leaving Tang En with the only option to investigate in cities and towns.  a.s.sa.s.sin organizations are closely linked with business and money, so the probability of finding one in a city was certainly much greater.

Tang En rushed for two hours down the road, and stopped to find a magnificent city in the distance.

“Black Rock City?” Tang En couldn’t help but look at the large characters printed on the city walls. He wondered why this name felt so familiar… Yes, Father York had mentioned that Sethman pa.s.sed through here before coming to the Little Stone Village.

“It seems we might run past Sethman. Enhancing my strength is more important, let’s have him live for a few more days.” Tang En touched his axe bitterly.

“What?” he exclaimed, “I need to pay an entry fee of ten coppers to go in?” While entering the city gate, Tang En came across a difficult problem.

“Don’t have it? Then step aside.”  The armed guard deadpanned.

Tang En refused to accept: “Didn’t a horse carriage pa.s.s through here directly a moment ago?”

The guard looked at him with contempt and said, “Those people are aristocrats, how can a country b.u.mpkin with a rotten axe around his waist compare to them?”

“Step aside!” Tang En sullenly complied.

Tang En had blended in this new world for ten days, barely sufficing enough food and clothing in the wild, how could there be any money?

Come back at night and climb over the wall? Tang En flipped a switch in his head and though of an idea. But watching the ma.s.sive towering walls of Black Rock City piled up, and seeing the enormous crossbows mounted side-by-side, he gave up this thought sanely.

“Make way, Make way…..”

Just as Tang En was thinking about how to enter the city, there was an uproar at the city gates.  As he looked up, he saw a luxury coach pa.s.s by, a line of cavalry guards expelled the people who were lined up.

Well, carriage… Tang En walked quickly into the crowd, approaching closer to the cart.

Must admit at this time, you will see the outcome of the recent training. Although crowded, but Tang En moves past the crowd like a fish in water, like a windy breeze, he did not stop the pace of advance.

At this time, Tang En had also discovered his ability, he could not help but swell with emotion: “In my previous life with this skill, could have easily extruded into any crowded bus…”

While avoiding the clamoring knight he rode in the front, Tang En’s short stature, while continuously receding from the crowd suddenly jumps out, and instantly got below the carriage.

He waits calmly for a few seconds, there was no unusual reaction.  He let out a light breath, ha! great success! A broken gate tried to stop an a.s.sa.s.sin? Too naive…

“Xi Ya, did you have fun today?”

Uh… Tang En was surprised for a moment, a male voice suddenly rang in his ears, it seemed the man in the carriage was talking.

“Um, fortunately. Thank you for the invitation, Wen Sen.” A cold female voice sounded: “However, please call me Qiao Xi Ya, or Miss Ke Luo Yi.”

The man spoke in a helpless tone: “Well, Qiao Xi Ya, you are so sensitive.”

“If I have hurt you, I regret that. I’m sorry, I’m not used to people other than my family call me like this.”

“Never mind, one day I’ll stand up and righteously call you Xi Ya.”

“Haha, really…”

Tang En curled his lips under the carriage, forget it boy, this obviously a tone of unrequited love, spontaneously concise.

However, it is clear that this man does not think so, he confidently said: “Um, yes, I will definitely try. I know you like blue roses and autumn orchid. We saw an autumn orchid today, blue roses will have to wait till next season before blooming. But rest a.s.sured I have told a village to have them cultivated on their farm.”

There is no doubt that the cart’s owner is also a n.o.ble from the Black Rock City. The carriage did not stop at the city gate and went straight through the corridor into the city.

“Wen Sen, I really thank you for your kindness. But the farm is to be used to produce food, not flowers.”

“Ah but never mind, I couldn’t care less!”

“Uh… But the farmers do care.”

“Them? Why would they?”

Because they want to eat, to pay rent… ah, big brother… Tang En sighed darkly, taking advantage of the pedestrians along the road, he stood up from below the carriage.

Tang En felt lucky that no one cared about the sudden appearance of a pa.s.serby on the street.

Regarding that dialog a moment ago, Tang En did not care much… Although he empathized the bitter experiences of those farmers, he is currently unable to help them.

“Where should I go to find the a.s.sa.s.sin organization? I can’t just pull out any individual and ask about it….” Tang En walked along the roadside aimlessly.

Black Rock City, was also known as the small southern pearl, naturally, the city construction would live up to its name. At least Tang En sees that the city gate is very good. Compared to the modern metropolis of Earth, although there have been only a few of the tall old-fashioned buildings, the rich aesthetically cla.s.sic style of construction made Tang En feel very comfortable.

Smooth paved roads of green bricks extend in all directions; the horse’s hoof strikes the cobblestone with a distinct ticktack sound. Occasionally several mysterious statues could be seen alongside the street, which made Tang En stop from time to time.  Well, don’t get me wrong, Tang En wasn’t stopping to ogle at the open avant-garde statues of women… Of course, even if he looked like that, he held artistic perspective.  For example,

“Gee… this one is good, there really is infinite beauty in these dangerous mountain peaks!”

“So vivid, this isn’t a good position to place a flower sadly, such a luxurious gra.s.sland. I can only imagine the true the beauty of a bare flower of this sort, the hap-hazard attempt to cloak such sights only spoils the art…”

Ahem Ahem, down to business matters, I repeat, Down to business. Tang En stroked his chin: “This won’t do, where could I find someone to inquire?”

The profession of an a.s.sa.s.sin, no matter where it’s hidden, after all, is a matter of money, and potentially killing people to seal the deal.  Find them won’t be so easy, but the dragons speak with dragons, and mice with mice. Under those abysmal roads, people scooping up dishonest businesses tend to be well informed.  Although sometimes the accuracy cannot be guaranteed, one could at least get a clue.

Finding an a.s.sa.s.sin is not easy, but finding local hooligans is not difficult at all. Tang En decided to start with these people.

Black Rock City port, for Lái nǎo rivers sake, the land here is the most prosperous of Black Rock City, and is the main source of tax revenues for the city.

Such an economy and geographic location are very important for a port, naturally, it would be the focus of Black Rock City officials.  Here, Black Rock City stationed 3/5th of their guard force all year long. The black rock sheriff once declared that, no matter wherever any kind of chaos arises in the port, their troops will arrive at the location within half a bead hourgla.s.s (probably 5 minutes, still faster than the 911 response time J).

However, a delicious cake will not only attract fine knives and forks, but also flies.

The control of law and order in the port is the best in the town, but its dark forces are also most rampant.  At first, the Black Rock Sheriff did not care about these “little fleas”, with a wave of the hand, directly sent elite troops to exterminate. It proved highly effective initially, and extinguished many dark forces. Magistrates, in order to show resolve for some time on Sunday’s, black rock city’s central square gallows never stopped.

But then, the dark forces surged back with a counter-attack and the cavalry solders encountered b.l.o.o.d.y retaliation. The government officials, cavalry patrol of the streets, all had staged deaths. That period of time, was the black rock city’s darkest time, battle cries could be heard from the streets, pitiful yells from streets and alleys were unceasing, and the air was filled with b.l.o.o.d.y breath.  City residents regardless of day and night, locked the doors, afraid to go out.

Chaos lasted for a whole month, finally no one knew what deal had been struck, and both the sides finally signed a ceasefire.  Since then, the port is at peace, but the dark forces are still there, the two sides maintained a calm temperament on the surface.

In the south port under a dock, a middle-aged man wearing a c.o.c.ked hat and a ragged denim shirt hurried past the crowd. Seeing him, the people around could not help but expose a contemptuous look.

Some people even openly teased: “Rotten gambler, it’s almost noon, where are you going?”

The middle-aged person didn’t care about the looks of despising directed at him, but he said with a smile: “I’m Feeling prosperous today, going to try my luck at the games of chance.”

He then took off quickly, not waiting to hear that person’s reply for fear that if he doesn’t reach the casino in time; he would lose his prosperous luck at games of chance.

The curious stranger shook his head, “This compulsive gambler…, sooner or later the person who loaned him money for the casino will hack him to death on the street.”

Also one cannot blame the people for despising him, this rotten compulsive gambler was addicted to gambling as it had become second nature to him. As long as he has even one cent on his body, he would go to the casino to try his luck at games of chance. All year round, he spent more time at the casino than at home. Even when his wife was ill, he sat gambling away while his wife died alone.

As long as a person as a grain of humanity, they would change this behavior, but the rotten compulsive gambler did not. Several days later rather than being depressed, he rushed toward the casino as before.  Even if such a person blended among black people, you still could not afford to look at him. (Racist comment)

However, today luck wasn’t in his favor and he didn’t make it to the Casino. Along the road, while crossing a deep alley, he was strangled by the neck, and drawn into a corner.

Before the rotten gambler had a chance to shout, a sharp axe was held behind his neck.

“Don’t! Don’t kill me! I have something to say!  Is it the one-eyed man? I have money, I will… “

“Shut up.  I ask, you answer. Do you understand? ”

The rotten gambler’s face lit up as he gave a hint of a nod.

“Do you know where the a.s.sa.s.sin organization is?” Without a doubt, this person is Tang En. He walked around in the city for some time, then finally while walking around the south port, this rotten gambler caught his eye.

“Uh… a.s.sa… a.s.sa.s.sins? No, I have never heard …”

“Huh?” The axe tightened.

“No, I’ve heard, I’ve heard… a.s.sa.s.sin, a.s.sa.s.sin… Is one that chops the hand, I… I…”

Cut the hand? Tang En doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, once more cold voice sounded: “you’re kidding me right? a.s.sa.s.sin is a murderer. ”

“Killing people? Organization to kill… I know! I know! There is a thieves’ Guild! ”

Well, Tang En paused, he felt like slapping himself. s.h.i.t, this world is different, the concept of a.s.sa.s.sination would obviously be different.  Though in college years he played world of Warcraft, still ended up forgetting about bandits and thieves…

“Address?” Tang En withdrew the axe.

“Bluestone Avenue, West District.”

“Thank you!”

“No, not at all… do you have anything else to ask?”

“Well… You said a moment ago, that you are rich?”

Well, now the rotten gambler can’t wait to slap himself, “I have a little….”

“The point is how much?”

“Five or six… Seven silver coins.”

Behind the suffocating silence, rotten gambler spilled out quickly: “it adds up to a total of 18.”

“Lend me ten, same time tomorrow, I’ll give you twice of that.” Tang En is really penniless now, he only has that axe on him. This thing, even if given for free, no one would want it.

“Ah… this, you say, not just ten, but twenty silver coins, well, you… You really have ah?” the rotten gambler’s heart bleeds, d.a.m.n!, ten silver coins, his month’s pay is only 25 silver coins.  Double? I do not believe this devil! And this guy borrows money while racking an axe on people’s necks.

But now he had no choice in the matter, if Tang En presses strongly, he might as well lose all 25 silver coins. Thinking of this, the rotten gambler trembled while counting 10 silver coins in his hands.

“Of course! Well, this axe is important to me, and I’ll let you take it as mortgage; no later than three days, I’ll pick it up.  However, you listen to me clearly, if this axe is gone, I will kill you.” Tang En is really going to pay back the money, of course.

“Finished.” On hearing Tang En’s words, the rotten gambler’s heart calms down. This guy is an expert, mortgage on an axe?, it’s hard to say if he is robbed, even if he reports to the Sheriff to seize him, he would have an excuse to say that the axe was sold to me.

“I’ll remember your face, and remember… take care of this axe.”

Chagrin, the rotten gambler thought about the hole drilled in his wallet as he took the axe in his hand.

For a moment, the rotten gambler cautiously stole a glace backward, the s.p.a.ce behind him was empty, a quiet long lane without any traces.

*Bang*

The Rotten gambler wickedly throws the axe on the wall: “I ****, drop dead you wicked thief! s.n.a.t.c.hed my ten silver coins, ten silver coins!… d.a.m.n you, I curse you to end up at the gallows tomorrow…” followed by a series of abusive slang.

This continued until the rotten gambler used every swear-word he could think of, after which he crudely came to a halt, finally catching his breath.

“…No, I have to return to the casino to earn back the losses.” Thinking of casinos, the spirit of the rotten gambler immediately came back, hurried out of that b.l.o.o.d.y Lane, and rushed towards the Casino.

After a while, the rotten gambler lewdly came back and picked up the axe.

“d.a.m.n it, who knows if this stupid thief was really honest? Nevertheless, let’s take this for now and throw it three days later.”